Jetpac and Ballsy call for virgin travellers to ‘pop their cherries’

'Virgins Wanted' isn’t exactly the slogan Ad Nut expects on a billboard—not in the lonliest corner of the jungle, and especially not during LA or London rush hour commute. But here it is, courtesy of Ballsy (yes, that's the actual name of the agency), the two-person creative shop founded by Singapore-based Vijay Anand (ex-Vaynermedia EMEA) and business partner Eddy Lim, making their global debut for travel eSIM upstart Jetpac.

With cheeky shouts like, ‘Time to Pop Your Cherry’ and more pictured below, Ballsy dares commuters to scan a QR code to consider popping their travel cherry... with Jetpac’s eSIM, naturally.

“When Jetpac first approached us, they didn’t want yet another ordinary campaign; they were looking for a global, significant storyline. We pitched something wild and Jetpac didn’t flinch, because fortunately, they share our ballsy DNA of being fearless and experimental—so that’s when our ‘virgin hunt’ began,” shares Anand. 

The premise behind this brash hunt for 'travel virgins' stems from the insight that nearly a quarter of American adults and 15% of Brits have never travelled abroad for a holiday. So instead of targeting jaded globetrotters or the usual influencer set, Jetpac and Ballsy decided to capture the magic (or awkwardness?) of seeing the world for the very first time. And it’s a fit for Jetpac that promotes its eSIM on the basis of fuss-free travel, and by targeting newbies, they’re turning the product into a rite of passage.

The second leg of the campaign is an unscripted reality-meets-social experiment that sends two lucky newbies on their first oversees trip. It's titled 'The Travel Virgin Show.' 

The campaign is audacious and unfiltered. The strategy is provocative by design, a bit of a gamble too. Is it category-defining? Not so much. If you ask Ad Nut, the double entendres flirt with overkill. Still, in an age of algorithm-driven sameness, it’s hard not to notice.

To bring this work to life, Ballsy pulled together a global crew. Singapore’s Friend agency handled social and content while creatives from US and Europe drove the campaign execution. A director from Brooklyn, Ion Michael Furjanic, and Malaysian production house We Are Kix were also roped in. Build Media handled the media buying, while Connect Management ran influencer outreach.

Over the summer, Jetpac’s global summer campaign will also be activated across different European and APAC markets, as well as Canada and Australia.

Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'.